Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy Training
The Training Programme at smcp will close in December 2025. Entry into the programme will be into Years 3 and 4 via the APL structure. The details below are for existing students.
All training, once all the criteria have been met, can lead to registered and / or qualified membership with:
The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
The United Kingdom Association for Transactional Analysis
smcp is an organisational member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
smcp is also a United Kingdom Association for Transactional Analysis (UKATA) Registered Training Establishment
The 3 year programme, is delivered within a flexible weekend structure: qualified status and professional membership can be achieved in ways that suit individual circumstances and alongside full time employment.
Dates and Costs 2023-24
Please click on the link for the following:
Who is the psychotherapy training programme for?
What's on offer?
Entry Criteria
Certificate and Diploma awards
Structure
Dates and Costs 2023-24
Replacement Certificate / Record of training hours
How to Apply
Application Form
smcp Privacy Policy
Payments via paypal
smcp Trainers 2022-24
If you decide to contact smcp please note:
All contact buttons on this website link to Carol Lucas. Please email rather than telephone
Contact Carol Lucas directly with any questions - personal response within 24 hours.
Who is the psychotherapy training programme for?
Transactional Analysis (TA) is a theory of personality and interpersonal behaviour, and a method of psychotherapy. It gives us a way of understanding ourselves and our relationships.
TA is the primary modality but several other modalities are also included in the 4 year syllabus.
You only sign up for one year at a time and you do not commit to attending more than one year - although if you want to you can attend for the whole four years and anything in between.
If you are seeking professional membership with BACP and or UKATA you can achieve this by meeting all the criteria throughout the 3 or 4 year part-time training - meeting the criteria, for either award, can take longer if you want but there is a 2 year time limit beyond the formal programme.
You may want to consider training if you are:
Interested in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy, Counselling, personal development, professional development, or improving your communication skills and relationships both professionally and personally.
OR - would like to enhance your understanding and skills in working with people
OR - are practising as a counsellor and want to develop your effectiveness with a wider range of clients and problems
OR - are somebody who would like to explore a new career as a psychotherapist or counsellor
OR - would like to personally develop your understanding of yourself with like minded people
What's on offer?
smcp offers:
Two day Introductory courses: Understanding Human Personality (sometimes called the official '101' course).
The core model at smcp is Transactional Analysis.
Adult learners entering the main training programme at smcp do not do so with the same experience:
some have read a lot and some haven't
some have attended their own psychotherapy or counselling and some haven't
some have worked in professions that are related to the delivery of counselling or psychotherapy and some haven't
and some people have done none of these
smcp provides an approach and structure that recognises individual experience and each person's uniqueness. 98% of students, in their end of year feedback, rate the training structure as excellent and this has been the case for every training year since 2008.
Entry Criteria
Training in Psychotherapeutic Counselling is intellectually demanding and involves self exploration and personal growth - applicants will need to have the personal resources and qualities to meet the challenges of the programme.
Trainers for 2022-24 are:
Carol Lucas TSTA
Dr Mark Widdowson TSTA
Samantha Kynaston BACP accredited
Laura Muldoon CTA
Ian Tomlinson PTSTA
Assignments blind marked by John Monk-Steel TSTA
Certificate and Diploma awards
On the 4 year programme all students train in the same group and remain in the same group for either three years of training for the Certificate award (in Therapeutic Counselling) or four years of training for the Diploma award (Psychotherapeutic Counselling) - full details below. As well as attending the training days, students will have to achieve other criteria on route to all the awards. The time frame in achieving the other criteria is up to the student but there are some limits (2 years beyond the 4 year programme).
Once registered on the smcp training programme you will be entitled to apply for BACP or UKATA student membership.
Once the smcp Certificate award is achieved (after a minimum of 3 years part-time study) students will be entitled to apply for individual membership with BACP.
You can then take the BACP online test (smcp students have had a 100% success rate so far) in order to achieve BACP registration.
Once you have achieved the smcp Diploma (minimum of 4 years part time study) you will be eligible to apply for
fully accredited membership with BACP.
As well as the core delivery of theory and practice hours - awards contain a placement and supervised practice element (part of BACP criteria), your own personal therapy and on-going assessments. Students are responsible for finding their own placement and can begin when they have met the 'Fitness to Practise' criteria - most people achieve this about half way through their second year but it is up to the individual student.
Certificate Award in Therapeutic Counselling: will lead to BACP registered membership on successful completion of an online BACP proficiency test.
Summary of criteria
Completion of an introductory two day course - Two day Introduction to TA - the official '101' course
Training hours (delivered on the smcp programme)
Supervised placement
Personal psychotherapy / counselling hours
Assessments
Student membership of BACP throughout the period of training - about £90 per year.
Diploma Award in Psychotherapeutic Counselling: Will lead to BACP fully qualified membership on successful completion of all BACP criteria and an online BACP test.
Summary of criteria
Completion of an introductory two day course
Training hours (delivered on the smcp programme)
Supervised Placement
Supervision
Personal psychotherapy / counselling hours
Assessments
Student membership of BACP throughout the period of training - about £90 per year
Structure
The programme is structured as three modules over three years (Certificate) or four modules over four years (Diploma). Students remain in the same training group throughout but you only sign up for a year at a time.
smcp
Main programme: 15 weekend days per year (Saturdays / Sundays) 9.30 pm to 5.30 pm each day. Days will be delivered face to face at smcp and live online in line with professional criteria.
How to Apply
For details please download the document.
The application process for entry in to the main training programme is the same for the Certificate and Diploma Award.
Application Form
The smcp training programme is accepting new applicants into Years 2,3 or 4 as from September 2023.
Dates and Costs 2023-24
The Programme Information Leaflet, with full details of dates and costs 2023-24, is accessible via the Download above.
Fees are subject to annual review.
Here are some realistic estimates as to how much other costs might be: supervision (required as and when you begin your placement, generally at the end of the second year of training) - this is roughly £60 - £75 per 3 hour group and attendance is once a month. Personal therapy is roughly £35 - £50 per hour and there are attendance requirements; group therapy / therapy marathons will be cheaper than this. BACP student membership - about £90 per year.
Replacement Certificate / Record of training hours or any other Document/s
If you require a replacement of anything previously issued to you, for example, Certificate / Record of training hours etc. please download the form, complete and return by post after making the appropriate payment via the PayPal drop-down menu below.
Payment by paypal
